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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657456">Kasane</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/pseuds/Allekha'>Allekha</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Onmyouji | The Yin-Yang Master (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Caretaking, Getting Together, M/M, Missing Scene, Music</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:42:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,279</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25657456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/pseuds/Allekha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After their return from the Rock Gate of Heaven, Hiromasa takes Seimei home, waits for him to awaken, and plays his flute.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abe no Seimei/Minamoto no Hiromasa (Onmyoji)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Parallels Fanworks Exchange 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Kasane</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaos_Greymistchild/gifts">Chaos_Greymistchild</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hiromasa turned from Genkaku and left him there, holding Himiko's necklace, to return to Seimei, who still lay motionless on the stone floor. There was a touch more color in his face than there had been before Genkaku had – whatever it was he had done – and perhaps he breathed more deeply, but it was still shocking and awful to see him looking so close to death. Hiromasa knelt beside him and picked up his shoulders so he wasn't entirely on the stone, and couldn't help but check his pulse.</p><p>It wasn't as strong as it ought to have been, but it beat steadily against Hiromasa's fingers, and that was a relief to the strong knot of worry in his chest.</p><p>Seimei always looked neat and put together – whether he was constraining a demon with a spell, drinking in the early hours, or fighting in the middle of Heian-kyou with those who wanted to tear it apart. At most, maybe one or two strands of hair would escape his topknot and cling to his cheek, the imperfection only giving him more charm when the fight was over, till the hairs were put back in their place.</p><p>Even now, his white robes didn't seem to have picked up any speck of dirt from the cave floor, and there was no sign of blood from the sword that had pierced him only a minute or two (or so it felt) ago. If a sword truly had pierced him; the world of heaven still felt like a dream, already fuzzy in Hiromasa's memories, even if Genkaku said it had not been. But if nothing had happened to him, he wouldn't have been like this.</p><p>It seemed as though he should have opened his eyes at any moment to smile at Hiromasa and pick himself up. But he did not. His body lay slack in Hiromasa's arms, face totally expressionless, hair splayed over Hiromasa's sleeve. He couldn't recall ever seeing Seimei asleep, but it was somehow clear from looking at him that he was not merely sleeping.</p><p>The rest was up to him, Genkaku had said. Seimei was clever and strong; even looking at him in this condition, Hiromasa knew that he would pull through, that eventually he would wake up and they could drink together again and investigate more of the cases of spirits and ogres that plagued the capital.</p><p>But eventually did not come in the next few moments, and Hiromasa was not going to wait for however long it took in a dingy, dusty cave with air that felt strange on his skin and Genkaku still at their back. Hiromasa pulled Seimei a little closer, then looked up and considered: unless Mitsumushi showed up and magically ferried them away – it seemed unlikely for a butterfly spirit – then he had to get Seimei out of here <em>somehow</em>.</p><p>Hiromasa had carried people before – mostly giggly lovers – and so it didn't seem so hard to fasten his arm around Seimei's shoulders and scoop the other under his knees. He stumbled as soon as he stood; Seimei was a great deal heavier than a short women, even one in a dozen layers, and he wasn't helping to hold up any of his own weight. But Hiromasa kept his grip, and he managed to move past Genkaku, still and staring at nothing with Himiko's necklace clasped in his hand, and out into the sunshine that blanketed the slaughtered village.</p><p>Once they were up all the stairs, he set Seimei back down on the nearest soft spot. His arms already ached from moving them only this far. Clearly, it wasn't going to work to get them all the way back to Heian-kyou, so instead he tried maneuvering Seimei on to his back. "If it were me who were unconscious," he told Seimei, "I bet you would have a spell to float me back home as you strolled along beside me."</p><p>He could easily picture such a scene. Seimei would act nonchalant and talk easily with Mitsumushi, and perhaps spare a few veiled looks of worry for him with Hiromasa too unconscious to notice them. Maybe there would even be a tear or two. Despite Seimei's protests to the contrary, Hiromasa <em>knew</em> there had been some for him when Douson had struck him down.</p><p>Hiromasa had no such spell, but he did have some strength from working with bows and swords, and once he had Seimei hitched up on his back, it was easier to carry him. With one last look towards the cave where their adventure had ended, Hiromasa started out of the village.</p><p>He felt sparks of sadness and pity as he passed an old bone or needed to step around some ruined artifact of a life taken. But mostly he felt tired from the long day and the long climb to the heavens where Susa and Himiko were now at peace, and some small amount of comfort from the way he could feel Seimei's soft breathing against his neck when he concentrated.</p><p>Mitsumushi met them at the top of the bluff overlooking the village, fluttering around them in concern. "Seimei is alive," Hiromasa reassured her. "I think he just needs time to rest."</p><p>"Seimei is alive," she echoed, and then she smiled and added, "Hiromasa is alive."</p><p>"Yes," he said, smiling back at her. He shifted Seimei on his back; Seimei's hair and long sleeves fell against him. He was warm and he was breathing and he was heavy. Hiromasa would live with the last one for the first two. "Can you help us get back?" He couldn't remember the way, and Mitsumushi was the one who had hurried him to the village.</p><p>She nodded and spread her arms, and then she was shrinking into her pretty butterfly form. Hiromasa set his eyes on her and started walking step by step, Seimei safely on his back, along the path she led through the trees.</p><p>~!~</p><p>Seimei's house was quiet with no laughing spirits, with no Mitsumushi humming to herself in the garden, with no flute-playing as they sat sharing wine. It was strange, but Hiromasa was very glad to see it all the same.</p><p>His back ached – so did his legs – and it was a relief to kneel down on the clean wood and roll Seimei off as gently as possible. Mitsumushi changed back into her human form and stood over them, peering down at Seimei. "Can you get a pillow for him?" he asked, and she nodded and vanished further into the house.</p><p>Hiromasa arranged Seimei on the floor to something that looked more comfortable, but it struck him that it seemed odd to leave him there to sleep in the same clothes that he'd been wearing for... how long had it been? Hiromasa didn't know how long they had been in the heavenly realm or how many hours Seimei had left him frozen against the pillar before Mitsumushi had awakened him.</p><p>When Mitsumushi appeared with the pillow as well as a mat, she first re-arranged Seimei onto them with some help from Hiromasa. And then, it seemed, she'd had the same idea as Hiromasa, at least in some sense, as she reached for his robes. So Hiromasa thought he might as well help her. They worked together, though Mitsumushi kept pulling Seimei's arms from the voluminous sleeves with less care than Hiromasa used and sometimes paused to fold the clothes as they went.</p><p>So strange to see Seimei lay there and let them. So strange to strip him of his layers; of course, there was no magic in the clothes themselves – Hiromasa assumed – but there was something about Seimei in his chosen colors, shining white and vivid hues that made anyone at court seem dull in comparison. In only his under-robe and hakama, he seemed more a man and less a mage.</p><p>Hiromasa paused Mitsumushi when she went for those layers, too, cheeks flushing hot. "Let's get him new clothes," he said.</p><p>"New clothes," she repeated, jumping up. This time, she paused after a few steps, clearly waiting for him. Hiromasa stood, took a moment to rub at the sore muscles in his back, and followed her. He wondered suddenly if Seimei chose his colors only for himself, or if he took Mitsumushi's opinion into account to amuse her – if perhaps those blues he so often wore were a reflection of her jewel-like wings.</p><p>She led him to a room with a clothes chest, the rest of it cut off from view by a screen. Hiromasa was glad; it felt like trespassing to be so far into Seimei's house already, though he was sure that Mitsumushi wouldn't have taken him anywhere if Seimei would have objected to his presence there. She plucked something from a drawer so fast that he barely saw anything but a blur of white, and then she was fluttering by him and going back down the hall.</p><p>Without her presence, the room was totally silent, and Hiromasa felt even more uneasy, as though he was rifling through Seimei's life without permission as he slid open a drawer. But inside there were only layers of cloth, personal items but not the most intimate. Hiromasa pulled out another clean white robe, reasoning that it seemed good for someone resting.</p><p>And it was cool enough that he could use another layer to cover him. Hiromasa pulled open another drawer and found outer robes, including one that he couldn't immediately recall seeing before. It was white, with a beautiful cloud pattern in the brocade that suited Seimei, lined in plum purple. He traced a cloud for one distracted moment before he took it and closed the drawers, then retreated back to the veranda.</p><p>Mitsumushi had already changed Seimei into the new things she'd brought and was finishing folding all the layers they'd removed. Hiromasa added the new robe, and then carefully covered Seimei with the outer robe. With a blanket and a pillow, now he did appear as if he was only sleeping off a long day. Tension in Hiromasa's shoulders that he hadn't realized was there relaxed as Mitsumushi picked up the clothes and wandered off.</p><p>He could have gone for a nap himself, even if it meant simply lying next to Seimei and falling asleep right there, except there was an itchy restless energy that lay beneath his tiredness. He wanted to do something more to make Seimei comfortable, or speed his recovery, perhaps something as simple as washing the dust from his face and combing his hair – but no, that would have felt far too intimate.</p><p>If Seimei had been awake – if he had been awake, and exhausted, and asked Hiromasa to help him with his hair for some reason, he would have been glad to. Would have been glad to be asked, glad that Seimei had asked him to touch him so closely. Hiromasa closed his eyes for a moment and his imagination gave him an image of a tired Seimei smiling at him.</p><p>But Seimei was not awake, and Hiromasa didn't know if it would be alright, if Seimei would appreciate the gesture of care when he inevitably noticed. Probably, he thought, but better to let Seimei take care of himself after he awoke. (Unless he awoke and asked and – Hiromasa would be happy then to help him however he wished.)</p><p>He restrained himself to sneaking a hand under the robe covering Seimei and wrapping his fingers around his clothed wrist. It felt solid and strong, and he could have sworn there was more life in Seimei's face than there had been back in the cave. He would get better. Soon he would be teasing Hiromasa again and angering his rivals at court by simply being more skilled than them.</p><p>Hiromasa couldn't cast energy into him like it seemed Genkaku had done. He didn't know any spells for healing. But he had his flute. So he pulled his hand away and leaned against the familiar pillar, facing the garden that bloomed out of season, and he played for Seimei as he had done so many times before.</p><p>~!~</p><p>Hiromasa must have fallen asleep against the pillar at some point during the night; he started awake, and turned to check on Seimei, who still slept. After rolling out the crick in his neck, and unsure of what else to do, he continued playing – songs he knew that Seimei liked and new compositions that came to him as he watched dawn creep up over the horizon and into the sky.</p><p>From the stillness of the garden there came a sudden movement, and Hiromasa put down his flute to watch Mitsumushi flit by, turning to follow her flight. When she came down next to Seimei, he knew it could only mean one thing and rushed over, calling Seimei's name as he stared down at him, waiting—</p><p>He only had to wait a moment before Seimei's eyelids slid open, and his breath caught in his chest from sheer joy as he watched Seimei's eyes focus on the ceiling, already fully awake. Seimei had made it back, and when his gaze slid over to meet Hiromasa's, the first thing he actually <em>looked </em>at, Seimei's name slipped from his mouth in a breathless whisper.</p><p>Seimei smiled at him – one of those rare full smiles of his that went all the way up through his cheeks into his eyes – and it made Hiromasa's heart even fuller.</p><p>It was puzzling when the smile slid off a moment later, and Seimei's eyes went somewhere far away as he murmured, "<em>Genkaku</em>." But when Hiromasa repeated the name as a question, Seimei shook his head in minute movements, saying, "Never mind."</p><p>Hiromasa was too gladdened by Seimei's awakening, and too exhausted, to pursue his curiosity like he usually would, so he let the strange moment go. "Seimei," he said again, seemingly unable to say anything else, and that brought another smile to Seimei's face.</p><p>"Seimei," Mitsumushi chimed in, appearing from the hall with a lacquered tray which held a simple cup. Seimei smiled at her, too, as she knelt by him and held out the tray; the cup was filled with what looked to be some sort of herbal drink, steaming gently in the chilly dawn air.</p><p>Seimei began to push himself up, but he was only halfway to sitting when his arms abruptly collapsed from beneath him. Hiromasa barely caught him before his head hit the pillow. Mitsumushi gasped; even Seimei seemed surprised at his sudden weakness, his eyes wide and then narrow.</p><p>"It's natural to have trouble moving when you've just woken up from something like that," Hiromasa scolded, trying to cover both his own worry and Seimei's embarrassment. He put his arm around Seimei's shoulders and helped him up this time. "You were unconscious for almost a day, you know. Even you probably need to be careful."</p><p>"Almost a day, hm," Seimei said, taking the cup. This, at least, he had no trouble with, his hands steady as he took a small sip. The robe blanketing him started to slip from one shoulder, and Hiromasa hastened to pull it back up and secure it. "You haven't been nursing me night and day this whole time, have you?"</p><p>Mitsumushi giggled and sat back on her heels; Hiromasa flushed. "I was worried about you! And Mitsumushi helped. Besides, I was hardly nursing you when I was busy carrying you back."</p><p>"Carrying—" Seimei cast a glance about as though he'd only just realized he was home. "It is a nicer sight to wake up to than a polluted village," he said slowly.</p><p>He eyed Mitsumushi, as though she ought to have helped somehow, but she only beamed back at him. "Hiromasa is a strong man," she said, the same way she liked to praise him for his supposed goodness. With that, she set her tray aside and became the butterfly again, flying back off to her beloved patch of flowers.</p><p>The sun crept over the horizon as Seimei slowly drank his tisane, staring off somewhere that Hiromasa couldn't see. Perhaps he was contemplating what had happened beyond the Rock Gate of Heaven, or perhaps it had something to do with that whisper of <em>Genkaku</em>. Whatever it was, Hiromasa kept a supporting arm around him, keeping him upright, and just as his arm started to ache, Seimei slid his head up on Hiromasa's shoulder so it was easier to hold up his weight.</p><p>It was the closest they'd ever been without one or the other of them dying in the other's arms. Hiromasa was acutely aware of the faint scent of agarwood incense that still lingered on Seimei, of how it seemed that he could feel his warmth through Seimei's two layers and all of his.</p><p>Finally Seimei finished the drink, and he set the cup back on the tray with a soft sound. "You should go home," he said, starting to shift his weight off of Hiromasa.</p><p>"But—"</p><p>Seimei slipped off of his arm, and this time he was able to support himself and turn to look at Hiromasa. "You're exhausted," he said, "and I am sure your household is worried."</p><p>That was true. Hiromasa hadn't had any way to send word that he was alive and ask about the state of the household after Susa had been made to rage through the capital. He gave Seimei a troubled look-over, but Seimei only smiled faintly at him, and clearly he was feeling stronger already. So he nodded, which made Seimei's smile widen fractionally.</p><p>"I'll be back when I can," he promised. "Make sure you rest properly, Seimei."</p><p>Seimei laughed at him – weaker than usual, but Hiromasa was still glad to hear it. "So worried, Hiromasa! I didn't plan to go gallivanting about just yet."</p><p>He lay back down on the mat, sighing as he put his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. There was a strand of hair stuck to his cheek, and Hiromasa thought about pulling it off. Instead, he took the over-robe and pulled it firmly up to Seimei's shoulders again so he wouldn't get cold. "I'll see you soon," he said.</p><p>After all the running around they'd done, walking home was not the most pleasant idea, but with no ox-cart magically waiting for him, there was nothing to do about it. Hiromasa set off for the city – at least Seimei didn't live too far outside of it. Partway to his house, following the usual route he took, he ran into two of his men; apparently, someone had thought to see if he had ended up at Seimei's after the previous day's disaster, though they seemed relieved to not have needed to go all the way there. Some of his servants still spooked at how Seimei's gates opened by themselves.</p><p>They told him that the household had survived unscathed – Susa had not raged down their avenue, apparently – but it was still a relief to see it intact, both of the main wings whole and welcoming as he stepped through the gate. He was ushered inside to exclamations at his health, as well as news from several servants at once that was too difficult to follow.</p><p>No doubt there was a pile of letters waiting, but the first thing set in front of him was a warm tray of food. It wasn't until Hiromasa smelled the fish and saw the rice that he realized how <em>hungry</em> he was. When was the last time he'd eaten? When had he changed into these clothes? What day was it?</p><p>He stuffed food into his mouth as quickly as he could, only pausing between bites to reassure a hovering servant that yes, the meal was to his tastes, or that yes, Lord Seimei had lent his power to help save the capital and was also in good health. Afterward, he withdrew to sleep, too exhausted to even dash off a letter to anyone.</p><p>~!~</p><p>Evening was falling fast when Hiromasa returned to Seimei's house, having taken care of as much business as he could stand to before calling for an ox-cart. His back and legs still ached, and the bumpy ride in the cart did not help, but at least he didn't need to walk all the way back.</p><p>Seimei's gates swung open for him as they always did, and despite the fading light, Mitsumushi called out a delighted, "Hiromasa!" as he came up the path clutching a jug of weak sake.</p><p>He called back to her, smiling, and she giggled from her favorite patch of flowers. Her arms were full of blooms, chrysanthemums and orchids, irises and bellflowers. As Hiromasa came around the corner of the house, he could see that Seimei was watching her with his own smile.</p><p>To Hiromasa's relief, he looked almost normal: wearing his usual pristine layers, cap neatly set on his head, leaning against the pillar in the spot he always took when they drank together. The only thing about him that stood out was that his outer cloak – the one Hiromasa had chosen – was settled on his shoulders instead of being worn properly. Maybe he felt it was too balmy to wear it?</p><p>Hiromasa beamed as he strode over to sit against the other pillar, and Seimei responded with one of his fox-like smiles that always made Hiromasa feel warm inside. A shikigami came out to bring them dinner – another sign that Seimei was feeling better. For a while, they talked and Seimei teased and Mitsumushi hummed as she floated from one bush to another, her trailing robes staying as clean as Seimei's.</p><p>When they fell into silence, it was the comfortable kind they had shared so often, though perhaps more intimate after their latest adventure, and with the the outer cloak still hung over Seimei's shoulders despite the growing chill. Yesterday aside, Hiromasa had seen him missing, at most, the sleeves of his hunting cloak, whenever he threw them off to get them out of the way as he worked at setting up a magic circle or prepared a trap for a demon.</p><p>He liked the feeling of closeness that hung in the air between them. Silences with Seimei were rarely awkward, and Hiromasa let his thoughts wander as they stared up at the waning moon. He started to reach for his flute, thinking he might play for them, but his fingers brushed paper. That was the one piece of business he hadn't been able to take care of by himself, unlike the letters to his mother and acquaintances and the usual household matters.</p><p>"We've been asked to appear at court tomorrow," he said. The letter had indicated both of them; he wondered if Seimei received letters from anyone. As soon as their friendship had become known at court, there had been an increasing number of people who asked him to intercede with Seimei on their behalf.</p><p>Surely he did, from his family or other magicians who were less nervous about him than ordinary courtiers, even if Hiromasa had never seen Seimei holding a letter. Certainly the demand for his presence from the emperor must have reached him directly.</p><p>"I'm sure we have," Seimei sighed, reaching for his cup with his eyes still on the moon. "No doubt they'll want an account from both of us."</p><p>They would be far more interested in Seimei's. Hiromasa gave him another look-over; he seemed more tired than he had earlier, more slouch in his posture, maybe more tension around his eyes.</p><p>"I'm not keeping you up, am I?" he asked. "If you're going to appear at court tomorrow, you should rest."</p><p>Seimei cast him an amused glance. "I can figure out when to sleep for myself," he said, setting his cup down. Hiromasa refilled it. "You've become quite the mother hen lately – carrying me around, insisting I rest, helping to undress me...." He grinned over his cup.</p><p>Hiromasa looked out at Mitsumushi, but she was busy throwing flowers in the air and dancing under them, completely unaware of his sense of betrayal. "She started to do it, so I thought I should help, and it would make you more comfortable, and... I didn't seen anything indecent!" Seimei chuckled, the sound half-hidden in his sleeve. "And after that, I wasn't exactly hovering over you all night. I didn't know what else to do, so I played my flute."</p><p>Seimei's grin softened. "I know," he said. "I could hear it."</p><p>"You could?" If it had done anything to help after all, anything other than helping to soothe Hiromasa's nerves and pass the time, he was glad to hear it.</p><p>Seimei hummed a few notes, tracing a finger up and down in the air – and then he frowned, the soft noise stopping. "I don't entirely remember how it went," he said, his eyebrows shifting toward each other. It was rare to see that look of frustration on his face, and it almost made Hiromasa laugh.</p><p>"You <em>were </em>asleep."</p><p>"Yes," said Seimei. "Perhaps you could remind me?"</p><p>"Of course." Hiromasa set his cup aside and reached for his flute again, this time ignoring the heavy paper of the official summons that lay next to it in his robe. He paused only to run his fingers over its smooth surface, as he often did, and then he raised it to his mouth and began to play.</p><p>The new songs he'd come up with the day before still floated in his head, though none of them were complete and polished. He played the first one that came to mind, one that was sweet and slow and a little lonely, like seeing the stars blink out and the sky turn the color of apricot flowers and pale gold without a companion to watch it with.</p><p>It made him remember what had been on his mind yesterday morning as he had waited for Seimei to awaken. He had once almost died, and Seimei had worried, and Seimei had now almost died, and he had worried. Would there be a third time? Another disaster, another near brush with death, another embrace with tears, and then relief at the other's survival? Would they always be so lucky as to have a Lady Aone or Genkaku there to help them pull themselves back to the world of the living?</p><p>When the song was finished, he lowered his flute. Seimei's gaze was somewhere on the darkness beyond the estate; in the garden, Mitsumushi had paused to listen, but now returned to her flowers.</p><p>"Seimei," he murmured, settling his flute in his lap. Seimei looked at him again. "Seimei, if something like this happens again – I don't know if anything will, but we've already had a raging ghost and a raging god appear so close together – if it does, please don't tell me to stay behind again." There was a shift in Seimei's face, and he opened his mouth, but Hiromasa hastened to add, "I know I'm no good with magic, and that sometimes my sword and bow may be useless too, and maybe all I can do is play the flute. But I can't stand the thought of standing by while you put yourself in danger, and I know you can't bear the idea of me being hurt, either, so... I'd rather face it together. Not just this time, but next time, too, if there is one."</p><p>There was a moment of stillness between them, before Seimei inclined his head slightly. "Your flute playing is not so trivial," he said. "Music is a kind of spell, too. Who knows if the Rock Gate of Heaven would have opened after all if Ame-no-Uzume had no music to dance to?"</p><p>"It is?" He looked down at his flute. Its sound was beautiful, but that seemed a far cry from Seimei's pentacles and chanting. Then again, if a name could be a spell, why not a song?</p><p>"It can be," Seimei said, nodding. "Perhaps you could play another?"</p><p>Hiromasa knew he was being distracted – Seimei hadn't properly answered him – but he might have indulged him anyway if he hadn't happened to glance up at the moon again first and wonder how late it was for it to be so high. Of course, they often stayed up very late together, but that was on a normal day, not after having had such perilous experiences and not when Seimei's shoulders were slumping underneath his cloak.</p><p>"I'm not keeping you up, am I?" he asked, turning his flute in his hands.</p><p>"Hiromasa," Seimei said, drawing out the syllables with his lip quirked up, his voice full of fond exasperation. "There you are, fussing over me again. You aren't still worried for me?"</p><p>"No," said Hiromasa. It was plain to see that he had no reason for worry for Seimei's well-being any longer. "Do I have to be worried to fuss over you? It's not every day that someone reawakens a god."</p><p>"It isn't," Seimei chuckled. "You know, they say that foxes have such spiritual power because they spend so much time underneath the moon, absorbing its energy. So perhaps it's enough rest to sit here in the moonlight."</p><p>Sometimes Hiromasa thought the rumors at court must be right, when Seimei looked especially fox-like or stood glowing and almost inhuman amongst the gloom and dirt of the world. Other times, he wasn't so sure. "If you <em>were</em> a fox... but wouldn't that give them too much yin energy?" he asked, frowning; even he knew that much about the magical concepts that Seimei's work drew on. "That's supposed to be bad, right? Although, in your case you'd also be a man, so perhaps that would balance it out...."</p><p>"Ah, I see you've become an expert recently."</p><p>He huffed at the teasing and stood, then stepped around the dishes and sake to sit down next to Seimei and leaning against the same pillar, angled against the adjoining face of it. "If you need energy, you can have some of mine. I slept and ate plenty earlier, you know."</p><p>Seimei burst into laughter that went deep into Hiromasa's chest, warm enough to make him swallow laughter of his own. His sleeve brushed against Seimei's outer cloak, and for a moment he imagined Seimei throwing it over his shoulders as well, like a pair sharing their robes at night. "Am I meant to absorb it off of you simply by sitting near you? You might at least offer it with your mouth, as they do in China."</p><p>As <em>lovers</em> did in China, or so Hiromasa had heard in the stories. Such a strange custom, though if Seimei had meant the words – but no, it was more of his teasing. "Then I'll just play for you," he said. "Although I don't know what kind of spell the music will be."</p><p>"A pleasant one," Seimei assured him.</p><p>So he played, one song and then another and another, improvising here and there. At one point, he found himself playing the one that he had learned from Susa, which brought wetness to his eyes, but it <em>was</em> a lovely tune, and now he knew that Susa was where he belonged, and with his mother and his sister.</p><p>The moon crept along the sky; Mitsumushi, when he wasn't looking, vanished from the garden, perhaps gone to sleep, if shikigami slept. The night was quiet and peaceful and as Hiromasa played, he felt Seimei edge ever-so-slightly closer. Or perhaps he was the one who shifted against the pillar. Or maybe they both did.</p><p>From the corner of his eye, he saw Seimei's head bow, and then a moment later, bob up again. So he <em>was</em> tired! Hiromasa let himself feel smug about his powers of observation for a moment, before he let the music trail off.</p><p>Seimei blinked at him, a little too fast. He was near enough now that he could have put his head on Hiromasa's shoulder and gone to sleep like that, if he had wanted to. "It's late," he said instead.</p><p>Hiromasa nodded – so he admitted it now – and stood when Seimei did. The moment turned awkward. He should have taken his leave and taken his ox-cart home and met Seimei tomorrow at court. But he didn't want to break the warmth and intimacy between them to go sleep alone, and there was still something left unsaid between them.</p><p>"You didn't answer me, earlier," he said.</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"When I asked you to let me stay next time something happens, instead of trying to make me to wait behind."</p><p>Seimei studied him, standing so close, his face shadowed and serious. Hiromasa gazed back, his heart feeling too full for his chest, something inside him aching to hear Seimei say <em>yes, of course</em>.</p><p>He didn't realize how tightly he was clutching his flute until Seimei slowly reached out and put a hand over one of his, nudging at his fingers to make them relax their grip. "Would you like to stay?" he asked, his voice a whisper in the dark.</p><p>"I would like it very much," he murmured back.</p><p>"Then we'll have to teach you not to destroy barriers," Seimei said, and they both huffed with amusement as Hiromasa promised to pay better attention next time. He didn't pull away; Seimei didn't let go.</p><p>His heart thumped like a drum when Seimei wrapped his hand around his arm and started to lead him down the hall, into the house. "Ah, my men...."</p><p>"I'll send someone to check on them." Seimei pulled one of his paper dolls out of nowhere and whispered a spell. Hiromasa knew it would become a person, but he was startled to see that instead of one of the beautiful ladies that Seimei usually summoned, this one became a stunning young man dressed almost like a page boy. He bowed and left with the strange gliding gait that all of Seimei's shikigami had.</p><p>Hiromasa watched him go for a moment, until Seimei tugged on his arm again. He lead him into the room with the clothes chests, past the dividing screen, lamps lighting themselves as they went. It was impossible to resist a look around, even in the dim lamp-light, but there was nothing that marked it as strange or especially interesting, except perhaps the sense of timeless taste in his furnishings.</p><p>In the cave, there had been a moment when Hiromasa had turned from the pictures and the ancient writings he could not read to see Seimei with his hat off and his hair down. The sight had both entranced and confused him before Seimei revealed the reason for it.</p><p>It was even more shockingly intimate to watch as Seimei removed his cap and undid his top-knot, the strands unfolding over his shoulders as he ran his fingers through them. Hiromasa had to remember to breathe.</p><p>"When you were asleep," he blurted, "I thought about combing it for you."</p><p>Seimei gave him a confused look. "But you didn't?"</p><p>"I didn't know if you would feel uncomfortable about it when you woke up," he said, kneeling next to Seimei.</p><p>"The only two who would have are you and Mitsumushi." Seimei picked up his comb. "I wouldn't have minded either."</p><p>"Ah."</p><p>"But you're a good man for considering it." Seimei smiled; the lamp-light made his eyes look especially dark and deep as he pressed the comb into Hiromasa's hands.</p><p>It was dreamlike to run it through Seimei's hair, neatening the strands, to have Seimei turn and remove his own hat for him, to feel the teeth of the comb against his skull and to feel Seimei's hand solid on his shoulder as he worked it through his hair. He'd thought about scenes like this, more than once, but it was one thing to think of it at night and another to try and suggest it in the daylight, when he didn't know what kind of fondness Seimei held for him. But here they were, the comb gentle and Seimei's touch firm.</p><p>Pulling the layers off of Seimei down to his under-layers was a far different experience when he was awake – easier, but more nerve-wracking. It was like he was getting to see the core of Seimei, something few had probably glimpsed. Not the version the court would see tomorrow, standing apart even in his standard black robes, magical and distant.</p><p>His hands might have shook a little – he was afraid of spoiling the dreamy atmosphere – but Seimei made no mention of it. Maybe his hands hesitated a little on Hiromasa's robes as he helped him out of them. It was difficult to be sure.</p><p>They piled their robes together for blankets against the chill, with Seimei pulling the white outer robe over the top to cover them both. The scent of both their incense mingled, and it was extremely warm and dark, and Seimei put his head on Hiromasa's shoulder and settled against his side like they had done this a hundred times before.</p><p>Despite the hour and the knowledge that he had to stay awake through court tomorrow, he did not sleep right away. He was too enamored with the sheer coziness of the bed, with feeling Seimei's breath coming slower and deeper against his throat as he slipped off.</p><p>It felt as much like a dream as their brief time past the Rock Gate of Heaven had. But in the morning, Hiromasa awoke with perfect clarity of the night before, and to a Seimei who was fully healthy-looking and alive. He returned Hiromasa's smile, and Hiromasa had no doubt that he would shine brighter than the jealous rivals at court today, and that Seimei's voice would be a warm relief from the endless droning debates that would follow their reports.</p>
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